Under The Influence

I like computer game music. In particular I like the music of the games I spent hours/days/weeks/months/years playing as a kid. Unlike most kids in NZ I had an Amstrad (CPC6128) while everyone else seemed to have Amigas and Sega systems. As a result many tunes of my childhood differ from those of others. Remember, often different themes were composed for the same game on different consoles.

I really admire the games composers of yesteryear. They had so little to work with and they managed to squeeze every bit (excuse the pun) of goodness out of it. Even as an 8 year old I recognised in this work. Just as I salute those still creating magic with little more than 8 bits I also salute those reworking the classic 8 bit tracks that have inspired the geekiest among us. Thanks to Rob Hubbard for writing this one and to Marcel for bringing it back to life.

Great little collection of cool little ditties produced by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop between 1958 and 1975. These are the guys that sat around toiling with synthesisers all day creating the sounds that would infect our child-hoods.

There are some real pearlers on here - The Panel Beaters and Geraldine are such kick ass pieces of cheesy TV theme music.

The whole sound from this era is really cool - got the Jean Jaques Perry sound going on. Damn I love those old synths.

Apparently if you're looking for the person responsible for the uprising of the Emo subculture you should start with this guy.

This album, and Screaming Infidelities in particular, just happened to be right there when the gossip scene decided to start whispering about Emo. I'm sure the term had been around for eons before then - as I've mentioned before the music and attitude certainly have.

The song-writing is really enjoyable and the performance seems fairly honest. It's all acoustic which I like too. Guess I should probably give Emo more of a chance.

It was a random encounter involving a Tescos, a forgotten wallet, and some great Bristol folk that brought this album into my life. Sometimes things all come up roses.

This is a marvellous nautical themed bit of work by Bristol's now disbanded Ivory Springer. I'm not sure how popular they were outside of Bristol but it's a travesty that they never made it, or maybe it's not. Maybe it's best that this little gem stays local and untainted.

The first track, Fifteen Minute Song, has the most wonderful swagger to it. Halfway through I just knew I was going to love the album. Syncopated drums and tight sporadic stabs of nose. Rock done right. Energy, attitude and intelligence. Wicked production too - these guys have definitely listened to Shellac in their time.

All you little Radio 1 wannabes help me out here - get yourself a copy of this album and start taking notes.

Looking back a couple of years my mind falls on a period where I can recall listening to very little else besides this album. Fred Avril was one of the great Pandora finds for me - The Date in particular. I'm not sure how much popularity Avril gained in his home country of France but his Prix Constantine award (similar to the Mercury prize) suggests to me that he wasn't entirely unknown.

In any case, this work is very special indeed. You can tell it's had a lot of time put into it. Every last little sound feels 120% considered. I almost picture the guy going insane in the studio adjusting and readjusting every last little dial. Maybe that's how he got to the point of discussing killing his girlfriend in Like Everybody Else (itself a pop masterpiece, by the way) - complete with noises of sharpening of knifes.

The sound itself is generally all about smooth, dark electronic production, but he executes the realisation in a number of different ways. Some of the tracks like Helium Life Boat are particularly ambient while others (eg French Kiss) are really dancey.

One of my top picks of 2005.

Jakob have been in my life for more years (10?) than I can remember now and I wouldn't have it any other way. As a cheap comparison you could say that they sound something like [insert post-rock group here]. I guess the elements are there - pounding drums set the scene while lush layers of guitar noise swirl overhead.

To see Jakob perform live is a semi-religious experience for me. It seems to take a good couple of seconds for the sound to find its way from Jeff's guitar to the listeners ears. What is it doing inside all those pedals? Biding its time, swirling around until it's ripe. Only then can be considered mature enough for our ears.

The variance in dynamics across the album, or even within a single song, is huge. Some of it ambient, hauntingly beautiful while other bits use their hard edge to provide a great contrast. They don't take the approach of other post-rock bands - it's not a slow growing organic build up of noise. When Jakob want you to have it, they just let you have it. And I highly suggest you just sit there and take it.